Rolling Knolls Landfill discussed tonight

CHATHAM TWP. -- The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public information session to discuss the work plan for the Rolling Knolls Landfill Superfund site in Chatham Township at 6 p.m. today

The Rolling Knolls Landfill in Green Village, a 187-acre municipal and pharmaceutical landfill, was designated as a Superfund site in 2003. Sites identified by the EPA to be most hazardous are designated as Superfund sites.

Up to 24 feet deep, the landfill is surrounded on two sides by the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Two streams run either through the contaminated site or adjacent to it.

Formerly known as Miele's Dump after former owner Robert Miele, the landfill had received municipal and industrial waste and construction and demolition debris from 1930 to 1968.

According to the EPA's Web site, soil samples collected in 1999 showed levels of metals, phthalates, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that were above regulation norms.

Mercury and PCB releases were also observed in a surface water and sediment sample taken from a portion of the landfill located within the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge, according to the EPA. Testing also showed "actual contamination of a terrestrial sensitive environment," and indicated potential exposure of nearby residents, the EPA says.

EPA representatives will be at the Town Hall at 56 Meyersville Road between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. this evening for an informal session, and at 7 p.m., there will be a short presentation about the site, followed by a question and answer session.